Cranky Pants - Book Review

Everyone has a cranky day. The little boy in Stephen Sanzo’s, Cranky Pants, is having a cranky day. He is the titled character, Cranky Pants.

Cranky Pants’ day begins badly. He does not want to get out of bed. The sleepy head does not want to go to school.

Yet, life must continue, so he drags himself out of bed. Sleepy head has a difficult time putting on his clothes. He is having an impossible time tying his shoelaces. Cranky Pants becomes more cranky.

To make matters worse, all of his family is in a good mood. At the breakfast table, there are sunny smiles on their faces. His father and sister eat their oatmeal with gusto. The oatmeal is yucky to him. Nothing is going well.

Cranky Pants must go to school, so off he goes. He is cranky in school. He does not want to sing along with his classmates and teacher. The class assignment is for each student to draw one of his favorite things. He cannot think of one favorite thing.

The day does improve. He has a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. Cranky Pants loves a grilled cheese sandwich. His mother picks him up from school. She tells him stories about her work trip. The stories improve his disposition.

Things get even better. Dad brings home a pepperoni pizza. Yeah! His mother and father are happy to be together. Yeah! Cranky Pants is now Happy Pants. Yeah!

Children need to know cranky days are a part of life. Things will improve with the passage of time. After a while, they will wonder what made them so cranky in the first place

Stephan Sanzo’s Cranky Pants points out to children, in a delightful way, we have cranky days. The text is simple, but it tells of a child’s average cranky morning.

Matt Whitlock’s pictures are colorful. Mr. Whitlock worked as a Walt Disney animator. Now, he works as an author and illustrator.

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